Masamune
by quezacotl
Summary: it takes place directly after Seph, and then a few years after that. AVALANCHE finds themselves fighting alongside some new people against an enemy who has come bearing an ancient sword


"Hey, Grady, bring some more bottles around from the back - we're running low!" Terry, frustrated, slapped the top of the bar hoping to draw Grady away from the pretty lady he was chatting up.  
  
"NOW, GRADY!" The young man snapped to attention and smiled at his boss before running out to the back storage room. The lady sighed and sauntered over to the bar.  
  
"Bartender, you took him away," she pouted. Terry raised a brown brow and smirked.  
  
"And I was under the impression I was doing you a favor." The lady smiled.  
  
"The name's Della." She extended her arm.  
  
"Terry." They shook hands. Terry grabbed a glass from below the counter gave it a quick wipe with a cloth which she then proceeded to throw over her shoulder. "So, what'll you have, Della?"  
  
"Vodka. Straight up." Terry smiled again.  
  
"The girl can take her liquor. But I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Grady to come back in. That's what I sent him out for." She paused and eyed the girl critically. "Did you just meet Grady?" Della leaned back, aghast, and placed a delicate hand upon her chest.  
  
"Good heavens, no! Grady and I have been seeing each other for almost a year. Goodness, for all he talks about you, I'm surprised he didn't talk about me!"  
  
A year! Terry raised her brows again and attempted to keep her shock to a minimum. Grady had been working with her in the Black Sky for nearly four years, all his high school career. She had thought she knew him as a little brother, and she suddenly found herself realizing she hardly knew him at all.  
  
"I assume you two go to school together?" Recovering from her astounding discovery, she proceeded to question Della, her older sister vibe suddenly kicking in. Della smiled.  
  
"Of course. We're in the same year. Well we were, anyway. Now we're both graduated!" Della was beaming so brightly, Terry couldn't help but smile too. And then Grady returned, laden with a heavy box full of booze.  
  
"I got it!"  
  
"And not a moment too soon!" Terry said in reference to the large crowd gathered around the bar. "Excuse me for a moment while I tend to them," and she gestured with her arm toward her waiting public.  
  
Shouts of 'What'll you have?' and 'I think you've had enough!' were commonplace and soon other conversations were forgotten as Terry fell into the routine of pouring, serving, joking, and taking money. She didn't notice the two rather tall men who sat down near the end of the bar.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Are you serious, Grady?" Grady smiled and held Della's hand, deftly slipping a ring on her finger. He nodded enthusiastically and kissed her full on the face. She shrieked again and jumped up out of her chair. "Everybody look!" She held up her left hand and let everyone glance over the diamond sparkling on her ring finger. Grady stood proudly by her side.  
  
Terry's attention was pulled away from a customer and she watched the young couple. "Well, I'll be damned. Grady, now what have you gone and done?" Grady grinned at his boss, and shouted over the crowd.  
  
"I just asked her to marry me!" Terry smiled and walked down to his end of the bar where he was standing on the customer's side. "I guess that means I'll be quittin' soon." His smiled turned sad. Terry clapped him on the back.  
  
"I'm so happy for you. But do you have to leave?" Grady nodded solemnly.  
  
"Yeah. She's got a cousin in Junon who has an apartment he's willing to rent. We've both got jobs with Shinra starting in October." Terry smiled again.  
  
"Well, I hope you both do well - although I'll certainly miss you. And your help around the bar." Grady beamed at his boss and hugged her.  
  
"Then I give you my resignation." With that, he untied his apron and tossed it at her. She caught it easily, and waved as they walked out of the bar to the jubilant shouts of the happy crowd, toasting them and their engagement.  
  
"Best of luck, friend." Terry sighed and remembered how it felt to have a steady love. She'd never been engaged, of course, but they had come pretty close. At twenty one years of age, she still had plenty of time to worry about love, and since the love of her life had disappeared, she had decided to focus on her bar.  
  
"Hard to find good help these days, isn't it?" A deep voice shocked Terry out of her musings. A genuine one immediately replaced the empty smile on her face.  
  
"You bet. Owen, Jon - what's kept you away for so long? I haven't seen you in weeks!" The two men chuckled to themselves. Owen, with his erratic curly hair and dark complexion, smiled warmly. Jon, tall and lanky, grinned like a boy of twelve and his brown eyes flashed at her. Jon jumped into the conversation deftly.  
  
"Well, work's been hell lately, what with all the clean up mess from Meteor."  
  
"And yet, Shinra is still in operation. How in the hell could that abominable company have survived the downfall of its headquarters? Sorry, no offense." Owen smiled. "None taken. Just because we work for them doesn't mean we are unaware of the general public's feelings about Shinra. And to answer your previous question, Shinra did have other locations." Jon swiveled around on his barstool, back towards Terry and away from the conversation he'd been having with a lovely customer.  
  
"Besides, Scarlet's very excited as she is currently in control. After recovering from her injuries, she's determined to make the company even more profitable than when it was run by the Shinras." Terry raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Somehow, I don't think even her divine influence could help your precious company." She paused for a moment, and wondered what, exactly, her two best friends actually did for the company. "You know they had some representatives down here earlier demanding certain profits and changes to keep my bar running."  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Jon looked truly apologetic for a moment, but then he replaced the look with a look of indifference to match his partner's.  
  
"Maybe it's for the best, Terry." Owen glanced down at his now empty glass, as if staring could refill it.  
  
"For the best? For the best? Where do you get off saying that?"  
  
"If they demand certain profits, you'll get more out of it." Owen's look was anxious, as Terry's face grew angrier and angrier as they spoke.  
  
"Me, get more out of it? Oh that's rich. If I made more profits, they'd just take more away from me. They're monsters, Owen. I didn't want them to take my bar away in the first place, but they threatened my friends, and my home. Me, get more out of it. HA." Owen sighed and gave Jon a look that said there was no arguing with her.  
  
"I'm perfectly aware of your feelings for the company. I might add that I share them, although I'm not allowed to voice those feelings." Owen removed his black cloak and settled more comfortably in his seat.  
  
"Yeah, me too, Terry. But they're going to shut you down if you don't comply." Jon folded his arms across his chest and looked sympathetic.  
  
"If I don't comply with them, they take everything away. I know, Jon. But do you know what they're asking - no - forcing me to do?" Terry rummaged around underneath the bar top for a moment and came out holding ratty piece of paper.  
  
"What is that?" Terry narrowed her eyes.  
  
"It's the form Shinra wants me to fill out, saying that Shinra has all the rights to my bar and to me and that they're basically controlling my life. It's full of bizarre mandates and 'suggestions', like the fact that they want me to hire dancers." Both Owen and Jon looked at their good friend and attempted to stifle their laughs. Both men raised an interested brow. "Sorry, not happening. Shinra's gonna have to realize that I'm not to be messed with." She threw the form back under the bar and sat on top of the bar, legs crossed, arms folded, and a look of pure hatred flashing across her hazel eyes.  
  
Owen and Jon gave each other a second look, and turned back toward their friend.  
  
"We'll do what we can." Jon winked at her and tossed a good amount of gil on the bar. With that, the two men left as quietly as they'd entered.  
  
YAWN! Tifa sat on her bed at the inn at Kalm and stretched up to the ceiling. She hadn't felt this refreshed in months. She looked slowly around her, at the room she occupied. It was simple, but it felt like it could be a home. She almost laughed to herself. Home for her was a quaint hotel room in Kalm. She'd lost her other two homes, and now she had nowhere else to go. She sighed and decided to get cleaned and dressed.  
  
When she exited the bathroom, hair wet, and fully dressed in her normal attire, she was startled to find someone on her bed. She immediately took up a fighting stance, but relaxed once she saw who it was.  
  
"Jesus, Vincent. You could scare someone to death. Must you always be so quiet?" Vincent smiled a rare smile and stood up. His hair was also a bit damp from his shower.  
  
"We've decided to breakfast together. Strife sent me up here to tell you. Everyone else is already in the lobby." Vincent turned around and prepared to exit.  
  
"Vincent-" He stopped and faced her again. "Is he. is Cloud okay?" Vincent looked sad for a moment.  
  
"He is tired, weary to the bone. And one can tell his heart is broken. But with help," Tifa sensed the unspoken 'your' before help, "I'm sure he'll be just fine."  
  
"Thanks, Vincent. You're much more than you seem, friend." Vincent exited the room and Tifa didn't hear his footsteps as he treaded the carpeted hall.  
  
She reluctantly took a brush to her unruly hair, and decided to change her ensemble. Going for comfort, she slipped on a pair of old denims and threw a red blouse over her head. The tube top was the exact same color as the scarf she tied her hair back with, forgoing the usual leather strap near the end of it. Convinced she looked like a new person, Tifa carefully placed one foot in front of the other and eventually found herself entering the lobby to the astonished eyes of her friends. "Hi."  
  
Yuffie jumped up and ran across the room to throw her arms around Tifa. "It feels like forever since I've seen you - we've all been so tired. You look awesome!" Tifa smiled and followed Yuffie back to the couch she'd been keeping to herself a moment before. As she sat down, she felt the gaze of her companions follow her. Finally, she could take it no longer.  
  
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Barrett laughed, his deep chuckle bringing a smile to his daughter's face, who was seated comfortably on his lap.  
  
"Course not, Tifa. But I think I'm speakin' for all of us when I say, Damn. You look beautiful." Heads all across the room nodded, and cheeks turned red. Cid quickly pulled out a cigarette and turned away, to look at his new fiancé, Shera. Shera merely smiled.  
  
Tifa looked around the room as conversation began to form on the tips of the tongues of the members of AVALANCHE. Yuffie was smiling, full out and ready to go somewhere and do something - anything that meant getting out of the inn where they had spent the last two weeks resting and recuperating for a year's worth of exhaustion. She, too, had discarded her usual attire for a newer look. She wore light blue capris and a black long sleeved shirt. She sat comfortably next to Tifa, beating out some bizarre drum rhythm on her knees.  
  
Vincent stood silently next to the couch his observer sat upon. His attire was not much altered, except that he did not wear the cloak he was normally found in. He stood, arms crossed, dressed all in black, his long sleeved shirt tucked into his pants. He wore a black belt with a silver buckle that was shined and polished - probably brand new. Tifa smiled in spite of herself. He was a handsome man. Next to Vincent, Cid and Shera occupied a two-person couch. Cid wore a pair of comfortable jeans and a T-shirt along with his customary jacket. The only noticeable difference about him was the absence of his goggles, which had been left in his room to dry from the cleaning he'd given them this morning. Shera sat calmly beside him in a pleasant yellow dress. Her glasses had fallen down her nose and she quickly adjusted them, bringing a smile to Cid's face. They were both so happy.  
  
Standing near the two newly engaged was Reeve, still uncomfortable with his presence near the group. The huge mog and cat lay dormant in his room while he conducted repairs to them and to his own heart. He wore his usual blue suit, although his shirt was untucked, reminiscent of old Reno of the Turks.  
  
At the head of the room was Cloud. He sat in a large black chair, laid back, with his arms on the armrests and his hands crossed on his stomach. Tifa hadn't seen him look so relaxed and comfortable in she didn't know how long. He had discarded his usual purple outfit for a pair of khaki cargo pants and a black sleeveless muscle shirt. As she looked at him, the power of her gaze drew his eyes and he winked at her, before returning to his conversation with Reeve. Tifa's heart raced at the sight of him, and she smiled at the thought of his happiness.  
  
Red was curled up on the floor between Cloud and Barrett. He was dozing peacefully, or so it appeared, until Marlene hopped down off her Daddy's lap and began petting him. As intelligent as he was, he couldn't help smiling and purring a bit as she did so. Barrett was laughing again, at something Yuffie had said, and he slapped his knee to help contain his laughter. His uniform hadn't changed a bit. Tifa sat back , satisfied that all her friends were safe and well, and sighed contentedly.  
  
"Is everyone feeling well?" Tifa's voice brought everyone's conversation to a close and they all turned toward their friend, smiles forming on their faces. Cloud smiled the warmest and stood from his chair and stretched for a moment. When he finished, he folded his arms across his chest and stood with his legs spread comfortably apart.  
  
I know I'm doing much better, and from the way everyone looks," his eyes roved around the room, stopping briefly on Tifa, "I'd say we're all better on the whole." Nods from around the room confirmed Cloud's words. "And I thought it would be kind of nice to go out and luncheon together. Just because I know many people have places to go soon."  
  
"Sounds like an excellent idea to me." Red gave a growl of agreement.  
  
"I think that would be beneficial to us all." Vincent gave a deep nod to acknowledge his consent.  
  
"Where should we go? Somewhere in Kalm?" Yuffie questioned. Cloud put a hand to his chin.  
  
"Well, I've actually heard of a place by word of mouth that's supposed to be really good. It's on a highly populated island east of Kalm. It's called the Black Sky Bar." Yuffie's eyes widened with the thought that her friends were taking her to a bar.  
  
"Ooh, Godo's going to hate that! Let's go!" The whole crowd laughed at her eagerness.  
  
"Don't get too excited, Yuffie. It's also a restaurant." Her big smile lessened but remained intact. "Well, all right everybody! Let's mosey." His statement was followed by several groans.  
  
"No offense, but that statement, was, as Yuffie would say, totally wussy." Vincent smiled at the open-mouthed gapes he received from his companions. "What?" he laughed.  
  
"He's right, Cloud," Tifa commented. Cloud threw his hands up in the air and sighed.  
  
"What's a guy got to do to get a little respect around here? You'd think kicking the ass of a seriously bad guy and saving the planet would do it, but NO!" He laughed and smiled at the group. "Anyway, lets move out!" That said, the entire group headed out of the quaint hotel and made their way toward the airfield, where the Highwind lay. 


End file.
